A Business Love

chapter 23

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Another month had passed, although things were great again with Julian, Jessie was getting increasingly overwhelmed at work.

She was in her office, nervously scrolling through her many emails to find the report she had asked Natalia to work on for her since Jessie needed it for her presentation with the sales team in two days. After finding the email sent by Natalia, she opened the report and examined it. A few seconds later, a look of consternation appeared all over her face. She was outraged; this was the lousiest analysis she had ever seen in her life.

Not able to hold it back anymore, she got up and went to Mariana's office.

"Hey! What are you working on?" she asked.

"A comm for the Greenfield Park project," answered Mariana.

"What do you think of Natalia?" asked Jessie casually. She didn't like to gossip, but she needed to address Natalia's lousy performance with someone.

"A bit weird, but okay," said Mariana suspicious.

"I'm talking about her work. Her work ethics. Her performance," specified Jessie.

"Oh! Well, she's decent," said Mariana, shrugging not having much to say about it.

"Really?" said Jessie surprised not expecting that answer. "I feel like she's half-assing all of the tasks that I give her. In fact, she's slowing me down instead of helping me."

Mariana didn't agree with her and even frowned. "I'm okay with her reports. I mean, they are not as good as when you used to do them, let's be real. But you're another breed; I'm not expecting that level of excellency from anybody, not even myself."

"I don't need her to do them as I would have done them. I'm just asking for something decent."

"Jess, her analyses are decent. You're being too hard," said Mariana with a serious look.

Jessie, appalled, opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but then closed it. She was in disbelief that Mariana could think that Natalia was doing a good job. "I don't think we're talking about the same person," she ended up saying.

"Well, I mean look. That's the latest one she did for me," said Mariana while turning her screen over to Jessie. "I have all the information I need. Sure, she could have dug a bit further, but that's fine by me."

Jessie looked at the screen and squinted her eyes. "Natalia did this for you?" she asked in an uncertain and suspicious voice.

"Yeah! She sent it two days ago."

Jessie suddenly gasped in shock while still squinting her eyes and shaking her head.

"What's the matter?" asked Mariana not understanding her reaction.

"You remember how I told you that Natalia didn't seem to like me very much?"

"Yeah, because she never answers when you greet her."

"Yeah, well now I'm convinced that she doesn't like me. Freaking hell man!" she exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. "I get it, our first meeting wasn't the nicest. But she needs to get over it!" she continued infuriated.

"Why do you say that? What's happening?" asked Mariana still confused.

"The reports that she sends to me look nothing like yours. I promise you. I would be satisfied with this. In fact, I would be so happy with this. But you need to see what she does for me," said Jessie while taking her cellphone to transfer the last email Natalia had sent her with the report she had asked.